The future of Jake Fox

[inari]

The future of Jake Fox? Sliders. Lots of sliders.

[champaignchris]

Answering my own question...

 

With all the contracts the Cubs have, I don't see this team being blown up. Ram, Bradley, Lee, and Soriano will all be back. Fox should easily get 250-300 ABs giving Ram, Soriano, and Lee days off and pinch hitting. Starting 2011, when some of those contracts are coming off the books, we should have a better idea if Fox is a full-time player.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Looking at the last few games, where Lou hasnt seem to let Fox anywhere near the lineup, I think hes off to the AL next season where he can be a DH and occasionally spot start on the field if a player needs a day off.

[dew1679666265]

Looking at the last few games, where Lou hasnt seem to let Fox anywhere near the lineup, I think hes off to the AL next season where he can be a DH and occasionally spot start on the field if a player needs a day off.

 

I've said this before but I think Fox likely has a similar career to Russell Branyan. Both can hit well and both struggle in the field. I'm not necessarily comparing pure production, though, so much as type of player each is.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Looking at the last few games, where Lou hasnt seem to let Fox anywhere near the lineup, I think hes off to the AL next season where he can be a DH and occasionally spot start on the field if a player needs a day off.

 

I've said this before but I think Fox likely has a similar career to Russell Branyan. Both can hit well and both struggle in the field. I'm not necessarily comparing pure production, though, so much as type of player each is.

 

AAA is full of guys in their late 20s who can hit the hell out of the ball and cant field, but the fact is, there are only 14 teams in the American League, and the rest of these guys are to get a cup of coffee every September or whenever a replacement player is needed. Jake Fox may have a leg up because he is capable of playing multple postions, though poorly and I hop he can put together a solid career somewhere.

[CUBZ99]

Looking at the last few games, where Lou hasnt seem to let Fox anywhere near the lineup, I think hes off to the AL next season where he can be a DH and occasionally spot start on the field if a player needs a day off.

 

I've said this before but I think Fox likely has a similar career to Russell Branyan. Both can hit well and both struggle in the field. I'm not necessarily comparing pure production, though, so much as type of player each is.

 

Amazingly, the only position that Fox can play with any sort of adequacy seems to be 3b.

[dew1679666265]

Looking at the last few games, where Lou hasnt seem to let Fox anywhere near the lineup, I think hes off to the AL next season where he can be a DH and occasionally spot start on the field if a player needs a day off.

 

I've said this before but I think Fox likely has a similar career to Russell Branyan. Both can hit well and both struggle in the field. I'm not necessarily comparing pure production, though, so much as type of player each is.

 

Amazingly, the only position that Fox can play with any sort of adequacy seems to be 3b.

 

I think he can end up filling in ok at the corner outfield spots and at first base. Not to the point that you'd want him to play extended innings at any of those, but well enough to fill in for a game or two here and there.

[dew1679666265]

Looking at the last few games, where Lou hasnt seem to let Fox anywhere near the lineup, I think hes off to the AL next season where he can be a DH and occasionally spot start on the field if a player needs a day off.

 

I've said this before but I think Fox likely has a similar career to Russell Branyan. Both can hit well and both struggle in the field. I'm not necessarily comparing pure production, though, so much as type of player each is.

 

AAA is full of guys in their late 20s who can hit the hell out of the ball and cant field, but the fact is, there are only 14 teams in the American League, and the rest of these guys are to get a cup of coffee every September or whenever a replacement player is needed. Jake Fox may have a leg up because he is capable of playing multple postions, though poorly and I hop he can put together a solid career somewhere.

 

I don't think there are that many guys who can crush the ball just sitting around in the minors. Most who are crushing AAA also struggle hitting breaking pitches of any type and, thus, would struggle in the majors. Fox struggles with breaking pitches, but to this point has put up good ML numbers and there's reason to believe he can excel at the plate in the majors.

[NCCubFan]

Is he injured? It seems like he can't get in a game anymore, and Scales seems to be Lou's new darling in LF.

[Halman]

Casey Blake type with the Tribe. Guy who could fill in at any of the corners and in a emergency at the dish but that's my opinion.

[Irrelevant Dude]

Is he injured? It seems like he can't get in a game anymore, and Scales seems to be Lou's new darling in LF.

I was also wondering what is going on. I just got home from the series in Pittsburgh and saw Fox get all of one at-bat, while Scales continues to play. Is Fox in Lou's doghouse for some reason?

[Tyrant]

Is Fox in Lou's doghouse for some reason?

 

I'm sure it's defense-related. We all know Jake is a pretty terrible outfielder, and Lou likes to go with defense at times. Not that UZR is everything, and the sample sizes are small, but Fox has a -27 UZR in left field.

 

Even still, the Cubs should be playing him every day at this point so they can audition his bat for a trade to an AL team. There's no reason for him to ride the bench.

[Roast]

I'm going to go ahead and assume it has something to do with the fact that he was pretty bad in August. Actually, he's gotten consistently worse every month this year, with the exception of maybe july when his slugging was through the roof:

 

By month: (Avg/obp/slg/ops)

May: .429/.429/.571/1.000 (7 Plate Apperances)

June: .304/.340/.522/.861 (53 PA)

July: .300/.339/.660/.999 (56 PA)

Aug: .246/.315/.431/.746 (73 PA)

Sept: .200/.200/.300/.500 (Only 10 PA so far)

 

It's pretty clear by watching him that he has absolutely no clue how to hit a slider. He can mash fastballs but until he learns how to hit breaking pitches he's probably going to see his numbers keep declining. So, possibly he's been taking days off and doing extra work with Joshua on learning what a breaking ball is? Or maybe Lou = Magdal and he assumes we have a great chance at this thing and he's just going with who he thinks is the better option?

 

I don't know. I don't know that I necessarily agree with it, but I'm sure this has a lot to do with it.

[Wheelimus]

The only reason I can think of (and note, I do not agree with this, simply trying to think like teh Cubs) would be fear that a late season slump would kill trade value. As is, they can talk up his 10 homers in 170 some odd at bats and try to sell it as "imagine that over a full season". If he tanked, the homers may not have a sexy SLG percentage to go with them.

 

Absolutely stupid, but it makes more sense than the likely reason. That he isn't a slick defender.

 

But hey, toss him out at second this winter and see what happens. :-))

[NCCubFan]

Now we know why Scales is playing. Fox could never jump high enough to tip a ball over the fence for a home run.

[Sammy Sofa]

Even still, the Cubs should be playing him every day at this point so they can audition his bat for a trade to an AL team.

 

There's little reason to trade him since he's not going to net much of anything because he's not good enough to do so and what little value he has is best served in coming off the bench next season.

[Backtobanks]

Even still, the Cubs should be playing him every day at this point so they can audition his bat for a trade to an AL team.

 

There's little reason to trade him since he's not going to net much of anything because he's not good enough to do so and what little value he has is best served in coming off the bench next season.

 

He has little or no trade value by himself, but packaged with others he might be an interesting pickup for an AL team.

[Sammy Sofa]

Even still, the Cubs should be playing him every day at this point so they can audition his bat for a trade to an AL team.

 

There's little reason to trade him since he's not going to net much of anything because he's not good enough to do so and what little value he has is best served in coming off the bench next season.

 

He has little or no trade value by himself, but packaged with others he might be an interesting pickup for an AL team.

 

Eh, the Cubs are, for better or for worse, basically locked up at all of the positions except for either SS or 2nd (ideally both). They could trade for a starting pitcher, but the pitching prospects are going to be in demand for that well before Fox and he'd be a minor ass-on at best. Fox ultimately isn't going to attract too much attention in a deal for the very few players the Cubs would be looking for.

 

I'd rather they just keep Fox as a bench player instead of going out and wasting money on one as in years past.

[Derwood]

ass-on?

[Sammy Sofa]

Hmmmm, I meant "add-on," but I must have been distracted by the thought of Fox facing any kind of offspeed pitch and slipped.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Considering the fact that both corner outfield psotions are up for grabs and Fox isnt starting suggests to me that Fox has no future with this team, not as long as Crazy Lou is at the helm. He'll probably part of a trade package in the offseason.

[Sammy Sofa]

Both corner OF spots are "up for grabs?" What, is Soriano somehow getting traded before next season?

[Cubswin11]

Both corner OF spots are "up for grabs?" What, is Soriano somehow getting traded before next season?

I think he means right now, Soriano is done for the year and Bradley is always in flux, so the spot spots are "up for grabs" for the remainder of the year.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Both corner OF spots are "up for grabs?" What, is Soriano somehow getting traded before next season?

I think he means right now, Soriano is done for the year and Bradley is always in flux, so the spot spots are "up for grabs" for the remainder of the year.

 

Thats what I meant. Soriano on the DL and Bradley day to day, but Bobby Scales and Micah Hoffpauir seem to get the start everyday, and Fox get an AB once ina while. Seriosuly, we all love the Bobby Scales story, and Id love to see him get a job as a utility man somewhere next year, Fox is the guy who should be playing, be it to see what he can do for us next year or showcasing him to other teams.

[Sammy Sofa]

Both corner OF spots are "up for grabs?" What, is Soriano somehow getting traded before next season?

I think he means right now, Soriano is done for the year and Bradley is always in flux, so the spot spots are "up for grabs" for the remainder of the year.

 

This is true.

 

Though Fox has been horrendous in the OF, so if they do intend on trading him it's not necessarily the best idea to have him out there looking bad coupled with his decline at the plate. Not that this is going to let the Cubs pull a fast one. Whatever, Fox isn't that good and Lou is an idiot. It's a perfect storm of suck either way.